Every year, thousands of University of Michigan graduate and undergraduate students travel abroad to live, study, work, and intern abroad in connection with their studies. In 2014 alone, there were 40 School of Social Work students who gained international experience in Australia, Bolivia, Botswana, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Germany, Guatemala, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Lesotho, Mongolia, Mozambique, Peru, Philippines, Tanzania, Thailand, and South Africa.
Katie Lopez (LMSW), Program Manager of the Office of Global Activities (OGA) at the University of Michigan School of Social Work, was involved in the preparation of every one of those SSW students.
Throughout their global social work experience, Lopez serves as a touchstone for support and encouragement. And upon the students’ return to U-M, where they will finish their MSW coursework, she will be there to help them as they transition back to everyday life.
“The School of Social Work is invested in ensuring that the international experiences of our students are the very best they can be by providing a comprehensive network of support,” says Lopez. “We help with everything from choosing the right type of overseas experience, to pre-departure planning, getting situated overseas, and most importantly, keeping educational goals on track, coping with psychological stressors, and transitioning back to life in the U.S. when the global experience concludes.”
As part of that network of support, Lopez co-teaches the one-credit preparatory course (SW 648 Issues in Global Social Work Practice) that many international-bound students take.
She also co-teaches the two-credit international experience wrap up course (SW 748 Issues in Global Social Work Practice Re-Entry and Professional Practice).
“This class helps students ‘unpack’ their international experience by providing a supportive environment for talking about it, finding meaning in it, and recognizing the ways in which it will inform their career as a social worker.”
Recently, Lopez and Larry Root, OGA Director and Professor of Social Work, received a Council on Global Engagement (CGE) Education Abroad Resource Grant, funded by the Provost of Global and Engaged Education, for their work titled “Before, During and After: Enhancing Resilience in Students Engaging in International Experiences.”
Through a unique University of Michigan partnership between the School of Social Work, the Psychological Clinic, The School of Information, and The School of Art & Design, Lopez and Root are developing a series of online informational/instructional modules designed to better assist students traveling abroad by improving protective factors and enhancing psychosocial resilience. The materials will deliver preventative intervention before students leave, help them cope with stressors while abroad, and direct them to campus resources upon their return.
“While abroad, many of our students witness extreme human suffering,” says Lopez. “It can be very challenging to experience those circumstances while also completing their studies. We watch our students carefully for signs of psychological stress, and support them through their experience from start to finish.”
Lopez is responsible for the overall administration of the OGA office, including overseeing the Global Activities Scholars Program, the Special Studies grant, the Peace Corps Master's International and Coverdell Fellows programs, the Certificate in Global Social Work, and the Visiting Scholars program. She also serves as the Office of Field Instruction field faculty for students completing global field placements.
The Office of Global Activities and the Office of Field Instruction offer global field placements for MSW students interested in working with individuals, communities, and organizations in a global context as part of their MSW program. Currently U-M SSW offers seven field placements:
- Srinivasan Services Trust – Chennai, India
- University of Hong Kong – Hong Kong
- Cross Cultural Solutions – Lima, Peru
- University of Melbourne – Melbourne, Australia
- Universidad Central del Ecuador – Quito, Ecuador
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile – Santiago, Chile
“The U-M School of Social Work is one of the few MSW programs in the country that offers funded, semester-long global field placements,” says Lopez. “We are preparing students for an increasingly interconnected world, which is so necessary in the field of social work.”